BUFFALO, NY - Three University at Buffalo women's basketball players will be formally honored tonight at the Mid-American Conference's Tournament Tip-Off Banquet at the Marriott Key Center in Cleveland, OH. Senior Sonia Ortega (Chihuahua, Mexico/Cobach) captured the league's Defensive Player of the Year award, while senior Tiffany Bell (Alexandria, VA/Hayfield) was named to the All-MAC First Team and senior Mari McClure (Rochester Hills, MI/Rochester Adams) was named to the All-MAC Second Team. All of the honors were voted on by the league's 13 head coaches.

Sonia Ortega

Ortega is the first player in UB history to earn one of the MAC's specialty awards. She led the Bulls with 79 steals this season (2.93 per game), which is tied for the eighth-highest single-season total in school history, and her 251 career steals are tied for the second-highest total in school history. Ortega had at least four steals in a game 11 times this season, and she posted a career-high nine steals against Kent State on January 10. She also averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while also leading the Bulls in assists with 137. In Buffalo's loss to Akron on Saturday in the first round of the MAC Tournament, Ortega had four steals and posted a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. She was an All-MAC Honorable Mention selection last season.

Tiffany Bell

Bell was named to the All-MAC First Team after leading the Bulls in both scoring (18.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game). She finished the regular season tied for the league's scoring lead (18.6) with Ball State's Tamara Bowie, and her 517 points on the year are a UB single-season record. Bell scored in double figures in 26 of Buffalo's 28 games and she had six double-doubles during the year. Bell was a Preseason All-MAC selection and was named MAC East Player of the Week five times this season. She was an All-MAC Second Team selection last year after leading the conference and setting a UB single-season record in scoring with 19.0 points per game. Bell ranks second all-time in scoring at UB with 1,632 career points.

Mari McClure

McClure earned All-MAC recognition for the first time in her career, garnering Second Team honors after averaging 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals while starting all 28 games this season. McClure currently stands in third place in the conference with a free throw percentage of .844 (119-for-141), and her .819 career free throw percentage (289-for-353) is the best in UB history. She was named MAC East Player of the Week on November 20 after scoring a career-high 35 points in UB's season-opening win over No. 22/25 North Carolina. McClure surpassed the 1,000-career points plateau on January 13, and she currently ranks fifth all-time in scoring at UB with 1,156 career points. Her 452 points this year are tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. McClure was also recently named to the Verizon Academic All-District I Women's Basketball Team.

Among the MAC's other awards to be presented tonight, Tamara Bowie and Johna Goff, both of Ball State, earned MAC Player of the Year and MAC Freshman of the Year honors, respectively, and Toledo's Mark Ehlen earned Coach of the Year accolades.